Boston Eats - o ya and Neptune Oyster

Back in September over Labor Day weekend, I headed over to Boston for a weekend getaway and a friend's wedding. Now, Boston is definitely known for its rich history - legends of Paul Revere abound. But I can't eat history. So I spent my time looking for must-visit restaurants and delicious morsels to shove into my mouth. This was my first time in Boston, so I wanted to see what it had to offer.

Boston is known for it's history, but it's also known for its lobster and other seafood. So I knew that one of the restaurants on my list needed to be a good sushi restaurant. I can always go for a great omakase. After doing some extension research online, I decided that we should try o ya located in the "historic Leather District." Why was it called the Leather District? I don't know, and I don't care. Remember, food first, history never. o ya turned out to be a great choice, not only because of the great sushi, but because of the awesome staff and sushi chefs. Given the number of plates we were served, I opted to use a photo collage to show off all of the great sushi we got our greedy hands on:

Besides the fact that the fish was extremely fresh, o ya also uses some great ingredients to make this omakase extra special. Some of the highlights:

• Foie gras nigiri w/balsamic chocolate kabayaki, raisin cocoa pulp, and a bit of aged sake to sip with it. This was served as more of a dessert plate. If I close my eyes, I can still taste it.
• Homemade Russian fingerling potato chip w/australian winter perigord truffle.
• Shima aji & Santa Barbara sea urchin with a ceviche vinaigrette and cilantro.
• Kumamoto oyster - one of my favorite oysters.
• Grilled chanterelle & shiitake mushroom sashimi. Yep, a mushroom course was one of my favorites.
• Seared petit wagyu strip loin with a potato confit.
• What's Boston without lobster? We were actually comp'd a shiso tempura w/grilled lobster just because we had commented on how great it looked when it went to the couple sitting next to us. 

Phew. We were stuffed after this meal. But very happy. Very, very, happy. After having a great meal like this, we weren't sure if our other meals could live up to it. But the next day, we headed over to Neptune Oyster, another place that I had read about with rave reviews.

Besides having great sushi, I was hellbent on trying out some lobster rolls. For those of you who haven't had one, lobster rolls consist of two very important, almost equal (and obvious) parts - fresh lobster and the right type of roll. After having had the pleasure of devouring a few lobster rolls in my time, I've actually learned that the bread roll might be the key to a great lobster roll. Obviously, good lobster is important, but the wrong type of bread can really ruin a great lobster roll. The roll itself has to be buttery, of course. But it also must be light and airy yet firm enough to hold up to the copious amounts of hot butter drawn all over.  Neptune Oyster delivered. Oh boy, did they deliver. For some reason, we decided to split one. Why? I don't know. I actually still regret this decision. Enough with the words, I'll just let the picture speak for itself:

Look at all of that lobster! And the bread! And the lobster! You can even see the light reflecting off of the butter!

And below the roll we have some oysters and the oyster bar. Everything was great. The wait, however, was not. If you ever go here, make sure to schedule your day around going. They usually get crazy busy (3-4hr waits are normal, and people do wait), so getting down there right when they open for lunch is probably a good idea. Either way, get there early and have them take your name and number down. They'll call you when your table is opening up. Just don't wander too far away or you might miss your window of opportunity...

Boston, what a tasty city you are. I love you.